Thanks TXLA12 !

Oh TXLA12! What a good time was had by all. I am very grateful to my publisher, Sourcebooks, for inviting me to come and arranging for me to sign advanced reading copies of ANASTASIA FOREVER. And the the YART committee for choosing me for the Texas Author's Tea and TT4L. It was all great fun. And getting copies of Anastasia Forever in readers' hands for the first time before it comes out in August was a huge rush of excitement!

But now I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

My Austin girl Jessica Lee Anderson, rocking her cowgirl hat while Geoff Herbach and our Sourcebooks Director of Children's Marketing and Publicity, Derry Wilkens is thinking: "Oh Herbach, wait till you see *your* hat."

Yup, nothing says Texas like the special Texas author hats at the YART Texas Author Tea. That's what Chris Mandelski, PJ Hoover and I think!

My YART Tea speed dating partner, author Michael Northrup who said, "Oh yeah. Give us all hats and no mirrors." And who writes amazing books like Trapped!

The YAHOUS (Lynne Kelly Mary Lindsey, Jenny Moss, me, Chris Mandelski, Crystal Allen)

Eating dinner with author/blogger Stephanie Pellegrin, Sourcebooks 'brother' Geoff Herbach, Austin librarian extraordinaire Jen Bigheart, and blogger Stephanie Redwine.

hanging with the girls: Amy Fellner Dominy (OyMG) and blogger and all around super human, Maria Cari Soto

and this is when I got 'ferklempt' at the signing with Maria Cari Soto because she's been there through this whole Dreaming Anastasia series journey.

The Sourcebooks team very full after dinner. And laughing a bunch. Melissa Wood and intern Katie Anderson and head publicity honcho Derry Wilkens and me and Geoff Herbach. Geoff ate a manly steak. With beet sauce.

My first ever Nook cover to sign!

And the line kept coming! Thank you. I was overwhelmed with delight that people stood in line for 90 minutes! Crazy talk. Or as my husband likes to say: "If only they really knew you."

My home girl Katie B of Mundie Moms, who has supported me like a crazy woman.

If it's Monday You Must be a Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon contest!! Your answers were amazing! The winner of the signed copy of PJ Hoover's Emerald Tablet is Christine, who told a fascinating Hollywood tale!
The signed copy of Jessica Lee Anderson's Trudy is Carrie, who had another fantastic road to Kevin Bacon!

And Valerie Kemp wins the signed (by me!) copy of HAUNTED for her star-studded 6 degree tale.

Sir Bacon would be proud!
All winners need to email me with your mailing address at joypreble at gmail dot com.
Thanks for playing!!

In other news, I'll be conducting a Teen Writer Workshop at the South Regional Library on Lake Robbins Rd. in The Woodlands, TX, on Thursday 10/20 at 6 PM. If you're 13-18, call the library or go over there to register. Not only are we going to write together, but I'll be giving away an entire bag of Sourcebooks YA titles that my editor Leah Hultenschmidt and my publicist Kay Mitchell have sent as prizes!!

And Comic Con in Austin is coming.... More on that soon.... the Ninja Writers of Texas will be going crazy at our booth. Zombie jerky, zombie contacts, zombie glasses, mermaid costumes, greek goddess costumes, Baba Yaga t shirts... plus me, PJ Hoover, Mari Mancusi, Jessica Lee Anderson, Kari Ann Holt and more... November 11-13... Austin Convention Center.

And click on the Crossroads icon on the blog sidebar to find out how to play and win as Crossroads 2 revs up on 10/22!

Thursday Dance Party: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Contest

Who doesn't love Footloose? Who doesn't want to dance like a fool when that music comes on?

And who wants to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon in honor of the original Ren from the 80's classic? Thought you'd say yes!

Okay, here's how to play, in case you've been living under a rock all these years and have never tried to see how close your connection to Sir Bacon is. I'll go first: A few weeks ago when I was in Malibu with my daughter in law's mom (aka my bestie Pennie), we parked in front of Julia Roberts' house to go to the private beach. (long story, but let me say it was fabulous) Julia Roberts starred in Flatliners with Kevin Bacon. This makes me 2 degrees from Kevin Bacon.

Comment and let me know how many degrees it takes you to connect yourself to Kevin Bacon and I'll put you in the running for three possible prizes -- a signed copy of my very own HAUNTED, and signed copies of books by two of my Ninja Writers of Texas Austin Comic Con cohorts, The Emerald Tablet by PJ Hoover and Trudy by Jessica Lee Anderson.

Contest will run through Sunday night and I'll announce the winner on Monday.

Until then, let's dance: